Israel Ranks Near Bottom in European Road Safety Amid Rising Injuries
A new report from the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) places Israel 27th out of 29 countries in a comparative index of serious road accident injuries between 2015 and 2025. While European nations saw an average annual decrease of 12.4% in serious injuries over the past decade, Israel experienced the opposite trend, with a significant 27% increase.
According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, published by the Or Yarok Association, 2025 was the second-worst year of the decade for serious injuries, with 2,761 people hurt, averaging nearly eight daily. The worst year was 2024, with 2,808 serious injuries.
Among cities, Tel Aviv-Yafo recorded the highest number of serious injuries over the last decade (2016-2025) with 2,010. In 2025 alone, the city saw 202 serious injuries, a 5% rise from the previous year. Jerusalem followed with 165 serious injuries in 2025 (a 28% decrease from 2024), and Haifa had 76. Other cities showing notable increases in serious injuries in 2025 include Petah Tikva with 67 (a 22% rise) and Ramat Gan with 59 (a 9% rise).
Advocate Yaniv Yaakov, CEO of the Or Yarok Association, criticized the government's handling of the issue, calling road accidents a "national plague." He stated that Israel's poor performance indicates a major failure by the Ministry of Transport and Road Safety. Yaakov urged the Minister of Transport to expedite the implementation of a long-delayed national multi-year plan, emphasizing the need to prioritize saving lives.
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